


Heroes

by vaderpowerranger



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Porn With Plot, Romance, Superheroes, Supervillains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-07-25 08:14:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7525099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderpowerranger/pseuds/vaderpowerranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One is a superhero, the other is a nonchalant adult more concerned with passing her classes. They're complete polar opposites and yet they feel a pull for one another they can't explain. So what happens when they give in? Or will other obstacles present in their lives stand in the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was writing a Harry Potter fanficton before, but I lost sight of the ending and the entire story just became a blurred mess. So! I am starting over with this one. :) Hope you enjoy.

The constant rumble of human life below the glittering silver of moonlit clouds rumbled against my eardrums, caused the slight pressure of a headache behind my eyes. I sighed, leaning backwards and exhaling hard as I opened my eyes. The moon glowed among a sea of inky black, the pull of that open sky helped to soothe my headache for a small moment before I rolled my center of gravity forward, the feeling of emptiness below my hips like second nature.

"This is harder than I thought." I grumbled, glaring at the city below before willing myself to sink a little lower beneath the misty cover of night. "Might as well just sightsee anyway."

I readjusted the straps of my backpack, the sloshing of my water bottle and jingling of my house keys distracting me for a moment before I focused my attention back onto the bustling streets beneath my crossed legs. The sounds of police sirens were a constant whine on the wind, my attention shifting from one point to another is they whirred and zoomed back and forth across the roads, off to save one person or another.

"Scrambling around like chickens without their heads," I grumbled, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Things in Metropolis were quieter than usual thanks to the new Superman, crime was slowly dragging to a halt and the streets were safer than they ever were in the past. I came here regularly just to simply hover over the busy city and take in sights and sounds, since Gotham was a constant cacophony of crime and mayhem. It was rather nice to slow down and just be able to breath, even if the air was rather polluted with smog.

I chuckled, running a hand through my fiery red curls; I had to get back to my dorm room and finish my term papers, but for some reason I felt a strange urge to simply sit here, like I was waiting for something to happen. Shaking my head I uncurled my legs, stretching out the kinks before turning towards Gotham and taking off towards the chaotic streets. Nothing was happening for now, Metropolis was quiet as always, but a niggling deep in the back of my mind scraped against my nerves, putting me on edge. Hopefully, whatever it was, I wanted it to be done and over with soon before I lost my mind from the tension.

\---

"Lyra, damn it all, where have you been?" my dorm mistress, Mrs. Vasquez, squalled, her pin straight hair falling into her face like a graying curtain. "You know your mother called. She told me you haven't been answering your cellphone and she's been chewing my ear off about it."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Vasquez, I'll call her back right away." I apologized, trying to put on a humorous façade in order to soothe the older woman's temper. She was damned determined to find some way to kick me out of her dorms, but my mother being a worrier was not sufficient enough for that. Either way, she was hell bent on using it to torture me, that was certain.

"Also, you've got five minutes until curfew. One of these days you're going to slip up, Lyra," she grumbled, shuffling closer to point her boney finger into my face. "and I'll be there to catch you when you do."

I felt irked that the old bat was bold enough to put her finger in my face, considering that I would be able to rip her entire arm off if I felt like it, but I quickly tamped the urge. Instead, I stuck my tongue out, causing her to splutter in indignation before I made a quick retreat to my room. Squawking curses followed me up the stairs, but I was too tired to really care at this point.

My cellphone, which was sitting perched on my nightstand where I had left it before I left, was blinking a steady blue that illuminated the bedside lamp. I threw my house keys back into my backpack before tossing the entire thing into the open closet, my sneakers following suit as I shuffled across the aged carpet and flopped onto the bed. I snatched the dainty electronic device, pulling up my call logs with a few taps of my fingers.

"Twenty calls, mom, and nineteen voicemails. You gotta be kidding me." I quickly hit the call button, the dull ring sounding loud in my dark room.

"Lyra! Lyra, are you okay?!" my mother shouted into the receiver, nearly deafening me as I jerked the phone away from my ear.

"Mom, yes, I'm fine. Gosh, you'd think it was the end of the world that I forgot my cellphone." I responded, slightly guilty that I was lying about forgetting the phone. I just didn't want any distractions today, and my mother was a stickler about always calling me around the time I went for a flight.

"Thank the gods, I was so worried. Don't ever do that again!" she chided, her voice smoothing out as she calmed herself. "Where were you? Studying, I hope. I know that you have a few term papers that are due soon, so that must be rather stressful. When are you going to take a break and come home to see us?"

I sighed, rolling over onto my back and throwing an arm over my eyes. "I was just taking a breather, mom, with those papers piling up I've just been feeling a little bit stressed. I don't know about the visiting part, but I know that spring break is coming up, maybe then?"

"A breather? Please tell me that you weren't flying again."

There was a small pause between us, the silence becoming a little awkward. "Yeeesss?"

"Fish and chips, Lyra!" I stifled a laugh at the silly curse replacement. "Don’t you laugh at me, you know how I feel about you using those powers. It's dangerous. I mean, Superman has only just been somewhat accepted into society, but that doesn't mean that everyone will be so… accepting."

I growled, "I do, but I'm twenty-one now, mom-"

"Don't you dare. We came here, your father and I, for a reason. I want you to be safe from the old world, which means that I don’t want you to continue using your powers."

"And if I have children? And they have the same powers that I do? Just because you gave up that lifestyle and the power that you could have had here doesn't mean that I am going to do the same."

"Lyra, your father and I didn't choose to 'give up' our powers. We got very sick and weak-"

"Yeah, yeah and then there was the accident, I get it."

"I don't think that you do. You nearly died, we all almost did. The doctors on this planet, although primitive in practice, were very kind to save us. Even though their methods made your father and I weak, we came out of it alive. I'm extremely grateful for that."

I lay there for a moment, absorbing her words. My parents had fled Krypton before the planet's demise for reasons that had not been elaborated to me, but when they had reached Earth, with my infant self, the atmosphere hadn't agreed with any of us. We became ill and weak, my parents struggled to find help on a busy highway when an eighteen wheeler had collided with us. Thanks to our nature, we survived, barely. My parents had shielded me from the brunt of the collision, and many of the surgeries and blood transfusions had destroyed the Kryptonian integrity of their bodies. I shuddered, remembering as a child seeing the scarring that littered my father's body in the summertime at the pool when he would go swimming with me.

"I understand, mom," I stated, swallowing thickly to put more conviction behind my voice. "but do you not think that we should be doing something, anything, in order to live up to the new lives that they gave to us?"

She was silent for a moment and I could hear the soft splash and clinking of dishware in the background. She was probably washing the dishes from dinner, dad would be in the living room watching some sports channel to pass the time and then he would head out with the dog, Charlie, for a late night walk. It made me nostalgic to think about the routine I had grown up with.

"Lyra, I'm sorry. I just want you to be safe. I don't want you to repress who are, but just be careful. I had believed that we were the only Kryptonians left, but now- now I am afraid of how many others may be out there." her voice was shaking, making me wonder what was bothering her that she wouldn't tell me. "I have to go, dear, your father wants to take a walk. I love you."

"I love you, too, mom." I pressed the little red phone, ending the call and severing the temporary tie to home.

I lay there for a few moments, mulling over the conversation. "I am Kryptonian. I am Kryptonian. I am Kryptonian."

The words were true, but they didn't feel like anything special. Krypton was a lost world and civilization. I never knew it, the people, or even the customs. My earliest memories had been here on Earth, my parents no longer retained many of their powers, and I was growing stronger than them day-by-day. I wondered to myself whether that was what really scared my mother, was it that this Superman and I exhibited powers that surpassed theirs? I shook my head wildly, rolling off my bed and crawling towards my tiny kitchen to yank the fridge open and snatch up a soda.

No, my parents loved me unconditionally, they could be afraid all that they wanted, but they had raised me with a love for life and a deep respect for the planet and its people. This was our home now, anything said against it was practically sacrilegious, but another part of me yearned to be more than just a pretend human.

I cracked the tab on the can, chugging the contents down before letting loosed a satisfied burp. My headache was coming back full force and I still had to scribble out the rough drafts for my assignments, tonight was going to be another long, mundane night.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lyra!"

I jerked at the sound of my name and the loud thumping of a fist on my flimsy door, slurping at the drool that dribbled out the side of mouth and onto the desk I had been sleeping on. Thank the gods I had only drooled onto a blank piece of notebook paper, I thought as I stumbled my way over to my front door.

"WHAT?!" I snarled as I threw it open before a closed fist smashed into my nose causing my sleepy body to stumble to the floor. It didn't hurt, but it was one hell of a surprise for someone who had just woken up.

"Oh shit, sorry! Didn't mean to sock you one." my next door neighbor rushed forward, grasping my loose t-shirt and hauling me up until I was in a sitting position.

I sighed, rubbing slightly at the sensitive area before glaring at her. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of this wonderful wakeup call, Olivia?"

"Ew, someone is pissy. Look I apologized for clocking you." she huffed. "Anyway, I came to wake you up for class, you've got like twenty minutes for class."

"SHIT!" I howled, scrambling into my bathroom to throw on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. I snatched my laptop, papers, keys and cellphone before stuffing them into my bag and wiggling into my sneakers. "Let's go!"

\---

Olivia panted next to me as we took the stairs leading up to Gotham University two at a time. Myself on the other hand was only slightly winded, but extremely anxious since the clock was running down to two minutes to get into the lecture hall.

"Liv, damn it, come on! We're gonna get locked out or something." I urged, grabbing her arm and hauling her up the stairs next to me. I put a little bit of power into my strides and pulling in order to hurry along, but had to curb myself when Liv gasped in surprise next to me.

"Chill, dude. The room is like right there, you could at least allow me a little bit of a breather instead of trying to rip my arm off." She grunted, shaking my grip off of her and rubbing the area softly. We passed through the class doorway as soon as the bell rang, alleviating some of the tension in my shoulders as we quickly shuffled to the seats higher up in the stands. The professor watched us for a moment before going straight into his lecture, his droning voice instantly sending most of the class into a sleepy stupor.

I slumped into my seat, my papers scattered messily across the long table as I went to jotting down the important bits of information the professor was scrabbling onto the board. A note plopped onto my notebook mid sentence, the curly handwriting obviously Olivia's. I shot a look at the girl who had taken a few seat away since my stuff took up most of the room at one table, she stuck her tongue out at me and pointed to the note still folded in front of me.

'What's seriously bothering you? You've been acting a little strange this morning. Did you get a boyfriend (finally)? ;) Also, have you been hitting the gym recently?'

I swallowed nervously before quickly scribbling an answer back ,'I'm fine. Just a little stressed since we're so close to graduating. No, I haven't, adrenaline is some powerful stuff, ya know. Isn't this a bit childish? We're not in middle school anymore.'

The note was quickly folded and thrown back before I went back to jotting down what I had missed during that quick correspondence. I sighed as the professor began badgering students for conversational points on the lesson, giving my hand a slight break. Something thumped against the side of my head causing me to jerk to the side in irritation, glaring at Olivia again before snatching the note off the floor.

'So mean. I don't want Mr. Tight Ass to yell at us. You're lying, you always chew your lip a little when you lie.'

I paused for a moment, realizing that I was indeed chewing my lip as I was preparing to write a reply.

'I had a small argument with my mom the other day. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should go home over spring break.'

"Ms. Lock, Ms. Burnett, I sincerely hope that you two aren't passing notes in my class while I'm trying to teach you things that will most definitely be on your Finals."

"Fuck."

\----

I sighed as I shuffled out of class, the thorough scolding I had gotten was a real damper on my day, but at least my classes were becoming sparse the closer the break came. Olivia had been lectured first and immediately bolted once he let her go which left me to walk alone to the local coffee shop for some late breakfast before my next class.

The chair was soft and plushy as I sat down, the waitress came up and I placed my order, dragging my backpack across the table to lay my head against it. The TV was on the local news, covering yet another story about the infamous Batman and Joker crime duo. My eyes dragged across the screen to the tiny clock underneath the news logo that read 10:30 AM. I groaned, sitting upright as the waitress returned, placing my chocolate chip muffin and cappuccino on the table before sauntering over to a table full of hormonal college duds.

'Mundane.' I thought, allowing my eyes to relax slightly, seeing through them and the building to the main street outside. People milled about yapping on their cellphones, chugging coffee down, or simply shuffling through the mayhem on autopilot. Cars whizzed back and forth along the road, the occasional blare of a horn shattering the din as someone grew bold and darted across the busy street to take a short cut.

'Boring.' My gaze focused back as I picked up my muffin, taking a large bite and chewing slowly, simply observing my surrounding and pondering over what kind of mood my next professor might be in when I came to class, hopefully a good one since this morning started out pretty bad.

The screech of tires and screams of terrified people broke my reverie as an armored van burst through the wall, the waitress and college boys disappearing under the spinning tires. My sensitive hearing heard the crunching of bones, tearing of flesh and splash of bodily fluids and gore as the vehicle came tearing towards me.

"Fucking hell." I growled, standing and knocking the chair back a few feet before bracing myself. The impact was brutal, it wouldn't break me necessarily, but it didn't mean I couldn't feel some pain from the head on collision. My hands gripped the grating on the front, fingers bending the metal slightly as I held it in place. The guy who was driving was obviously stumped as to why he had stopped moving and floored to gas, causing the tires to squeal and burn against the linoleum flooring, slowly filling the shop with foul smelling smoke. The engine whined in protest before I punched a hand through the radiator and ripped the engine block clean out of the vehicle, dropping it to the floor with a thud.

I rounded the van, pulling my hoodie up and over my eyes before tearing the door off and grabbing the guy inside. He reeked of piss, telling me he was absolutely terrified of the situation he found himself in. "Please! Don't hurt me!"

"You see, I would actually consider that idea if you hadn't slaughtered a couple dozen people on your crazed rampage." I growled, my ears tuning in to the sounds of police sirens closing in on this location. My hand closed around his beefy neck, the feeling of his sweat and the blood pounding just beneath that thin layer of skin sent a shiver of disgust down my spine. "They wanted to live, too, but since they're dead, it's only fair that you die with them."

He started sobbing, his nose dribbling snot and more urine soaking his jeans as the scent of fear, burnt rubber, and blood filled my nostrils. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"No, you're not." I hissed, my other hand releasing the grungy plaid button up before I used my hold on his neck to throw him through the wall leading into the kitchen. His hands reached out to cushion his fall as he collided with the still hot stove, a piercing shriek of agony punctuating the crumble of rubble and metal. I stalked through the debris, standing over his writhing body. "But you will be before I kill you."

\---

I landed lightly on my windowsill, my head throbbing and my clothes filthy from today's events. I called myself out of classes with the excuse that I was present in the coffee shop that had been apart of the accident and that I needed some time to recover, they were eager to give me the time, even extended the dates of some of my due assignments. I sighed, jimmying the window open before sliding inside and making a beeline for the bathroom. My clothes left a filthy trail in my wake and I made a mental note to burn them later since my hypersensitive nose would always be able to detect the smells associated with them now.

The water felt wonderful as I stepped into the shower, the grime and blood swirling down the drain along with the tension of the day. My mind wandered slowly as I washed my hair, perusing over the torture and murder of the male earlier; I started with his fingers, breaking the tiny bones before ripping each painful digit off his hand… I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as I rinsed completely off. I fumbled to grab the towel and wrapped it around my body, my hands gripping the sides of the sink as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

My red hair was now a deep black from the water, pale skin pearled with beads of it and my blue eyes scanned themselves for any underlying emotions like I was trying to will myself to feel something…. Anything.

I jumped when my cellphone went off, my legs churning automatically across the room and reaching towards the chirping device. "Hello?"

"Lyra? I saw the news, are you okay? I know that accident was at that coffee shop you told me about. Did anything happen?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as my mother continued to nag on and on in my ear. "Mom, please, stop."

Silence dropped like a curtain for a moment, tension building. "Something happened."

"Yeah." I mumbled, running a hand through my tangled hair. "I, um, I hurt someone, mom. I don't know what came over me, but-"

"Don't. Please, you shouldn't be telling me this right now."

"I don't feel guilty for it." I stated, but even as I said the words, hot tears pooled in my eyes and dripped onto the table with wet plops. "I really don't. He deserved it. I watched him kill so many and I didn't move in time, so I was simply upholding justice, right?"

"Lyra-"

"WHY DIDN'T I MOVE?!" I shrieked, my hand applying more pressure to the table, the wood splintering and groaning. My throat felt raw and swollen, my face was hot and itchy, I didn't understand the remorse I was feeling. He was the bad guy, right? He deserved everything that I did to him, but looking back on it now, I realized that I was simply allowing my anger and guilt to influence my actions. I was no better than him. "I didn't move and so many died, and then I got so angry, so guilty, and I- I killed him. I tortured and killed the bastard for my own shortcomings."

"No, Lyra, you did what you could. You can’t blame yourself." her voice was low and soothing, stroking my frazzled nerve endings and bringing me down from my agitated state. "You aren't the bad guy here."

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at her words, "I am. I've never been like this. What if it happens again?"

"It won't. Your father and I raised you right-"

"And yet I committed murder." I growled, the table snapping, splinters of wood flung here and there across my room. "I have to go, mom."

I hung up before she could answer, my fingers tapping across the device in rapid fire as I texted the one person who could help me forget about the day. Maybe something good could come of something dismal.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is gonna be so fuckin' fun!" Olivia squealed in excitement, tugging the super short skirt down for the sixth time as they strode up the sidewalk. Her tube top was bright red, forcing her generous bust upwards and her six inch heels clacking against the sidewalk. "It's been so damn long since we got drunk as hell!"

"You're already halfway there." I growled, eyeing the flask she carried in her hand. I felt out of place next to her big green eyes and wavy black hair; she was drop dead gorgeous and she knew it from the way that she swayed her hips in an exaggerated manner. My own tight, black dress and black vans made me feel like I was a kid playing dress up, but my makeup was alluring and my hair had been tamed so I was on the right track.

"What was that, you whore?" she purred, the annoying rhythm of her heels stopping long enough for her to look back at me and wink.

"You curse a lot when you're drinking, Liv."

"What can I say? The nastier part of me comes out to play." she giggled, grabbing my hand dragging me towards a rather fancy looking club on the strip, the music pulsing dully in the air and colored strobe lights flashing while a long line of disgruntled clubbers waited along the wall. The bouncer gave Olivia a cursory glance, his lips turning up before he lifted the rope with a wink and ushered us inside.

"Liv, what is this place, there wasn't a sign out front." I whisper-shouted at her, the music becoming blaringly loud as we ventured deeper into the club.

"Of course not," Liv laughed, her hand tightening around mine as she threw the empty flask into the nearest trash bin. "It's called the Krypt."

"A crypt? Like where they put dead people? The fuck?"

"Nooooo, silly, K-R-Y-P-T."

I swallowed thickly, ignoring the slight twist in my gut as another set of doors loomed in front of us. I reached out a hand and pushed one of the heavy doors open, a blast of thumping bass rumbling through my body and making my blood rush in excitement while colored strobe lights cast the edges of the dance floor into shadows. Olivia darted off to the raised bar, chatting amiably with the bartender as I picked my way through the swaying and gyrating bodies on the floor. When I finally reached the polished counter and levered myself onto the ridiculously tall stool, Liv pressed a cold glassof blue liquid into my hand and made a drinking motion with her hand.

It was crisp and minty, with a slight fruity flavor that didn't help to cover the bitter sting of the alcohol for my taste buds. It was going to take a lot more than this mixed junk to get me drunk.

"Bartender, can I get some shots? Your strongest stuff, please?"

"I'm gonna dance!" Liv shouted at me causing me to wince from the overstimulation. "Wanna come?"

I shook my head no and motioned for her to leave me as she swayed onto the dancefloor, a swarm of horny males descending onto her in a heartbeat. I grunted, turning back as the bartender dropped off my shots and opened a tab for myself and Olivia. The alcohol was acrid and felt horrid going down, but this was a night that I was supposed to have fun so this was a necessary discomfort.

"You here alone, sweetheart?" a smooth voice purred in my ear.

I turned my head slightly, taking in the expensive, black suit and red tie, the slicked back black hair and strong jaw dusted faintly with stubble. This was an interesting night already. "Bruce Wayne, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

He chuckled, leaning closer so that we wouldn't have to shout at one another, which wasn't really needed in my case but I wasn't privy to tell him so. "I'm just looking to unwind a little. A pretty girl such as yourself really shouldn't be here alone."

"Oh, please, spare me the concerned act." I countered the flirt, my finger sliding over the rim of my shot glass. "I'm here with a friend."

"Just one?" he flashed a crooked smile that went straight to my very core. "Maybe we all could get together?"

I snorted and crossed my legs, "Nope. I don't roll that way, playboy."

"Kidding, dear, kidding. You're too gorgeous to be had with another woman, you deserve one-on-one time." He laughed again as I wrinkled my nose. "You're definitely a tough one, most women would fall over themselves at that line. I think I like you, darling. What's your name?"

"Lyra. Lyra Lock, nice to meet you."

Mr. Wayne chuckled as he shook my hand, his fingers were rough for someone who apparently lived the high-rise lifestyle. He pulled away and motioned for the bartender to bring some more drinks. "What brings you here though? Your friend drag you here since she's the one having a good time and you're sulking over liquor?"

I scoffed, nodding my head in thanks as the drinks arrived and I took a tentative sip, enjoying that he chose a drink that was still strong. "Not at all, I came of my own volition. Some things happened and I'm just trying to unwind and forget."

He gave me a look of understanding, raising the glass to his lips. Maybe I was a little tipsy since I felt drawn to figure out what the liquor tasted like on that pouty lower lip of his. I threw back the rest of my drink, placing the glass down and paying for my tab, "I need to go. Thank you for the drink and your time, Mr. Wayne."

"Please, call me Bruce, and it was most definitely my pleasure." He purred, reaching into his suit pocket to draw out a business card. "If you ever want to talk again, give me a call."

I smiled as I took the thick, black card, his name printed in bold silver in the center along with his number just underneath that. With a wave I disappeared into the throng of pulsating music and swaying bodies, searching for Olivia among the sea of faces twisted in ecstasy and drunken stupor.

"Liv?" I shouted, ducking into a darkened hallway, the primal sounds of moans and grunts assaulted my ears causing my cheeks to heat. I skimmed the rooms quickly, earning a few glares and some sultry suggestions before stumbling into a much larger room at the end of the hall. The floors were black, with little flecks of glitter glinting under the lacquered surface, a few large couches covered in fluffy pillows and a few sheets were situated here and there. Thin veils of varying colors were suspended from the ceiling over the couches, giving the space a few secluded areas of privacy, and a long bar with a floor to ceiling length mirror as the backdrop took up the entire back wall. I growled uneasily, the overwhelming scents of sex and fear making me feel nauseous. 

"Oh! Lyra! 'Mere!"

I twisted my head to find a definitely inebriated Olivia sprawled on a couch, her tube top dangerously low and her skirt hitched up to her hips. I blushed, rushing forward to straighten her appearance which caused her to burst into a fit of giggles. "Liv, what are you doing??"

"She's having fun, duh."

I looked to my left to find some beefy looking sleaze ball in tight jeans and an even tighter, white button up that was open down to his navel. His hair was long, but greased back like one of those old style greasers with the leather jackets in a movie I once saw.

"What the hell-"

"No, no, watch the sass." He chided, clicking his tongue a few times at me as he sauntered forward.

"Lyyyraaaaa. He's so fuuunnn." Liv mewled in my ear, her hands tugging at the hem of my dress before I batted her away. I looped her arm over my shoulder, pulling her body up to lean against me.

"We're leaving."

Two other men appeared, blocking the exit with their bulging biceps and tree trunk thighs. I growled lowly, slowly lowering Olivia back onto the couch before squaring off with all three of the men.

"Your friend there, she's a hot little treat. I don't think I'm exactly willing to part with her just yet, since I haven't had my full fill, but I'd be willing to negotiate if I could have your sweet ass in exchange." the grease-ball circled us to stand in the center between his two bodyguards, nearly matching them if he wasn't a foot shorter. "Plus, I have some connection, sweetheart, with Lex Luthor. I could get you two anything that you wanted, so long as you just let me and anyone else I want indulge themselves with your quality-"

"That sounds lovely, but unfortunately I'm going to have to decline. For my friend and my own sweet ass. Maybe next time?" I hissed, my fists clenching in a rage that I barely kept in check.

"Oh, but that wasn't an option." he cooed, snapping his fingers and allowing his men to surge around him, their meaty hands reaching for me.

I threw a quick glance at Olivia, ensuring that she was both safe and passed out for the upcoming events that were to transpire. I ducked, making a mental note to reign back my strength and then slamming my fist into the gut of the first beefcake on the right, the sound of ribs popping was a distinct noise in the room causing his friend to hesitate for a moment. I threw the first into the wall, the plaster cracking from his momentum before I round house kicked the second in the face. He howled in pain when his jaw cracked, a few teeth flying and clicking against the shiny floor before he collapsed, writhing in pain.

"What the fuck?!" Greasy shrieked, his head whipping back and forth between his downed guys before settling back onto me.

"We're leaving, and unless you want me to break your legs on the way out, I suggest you. Fucking. Move." I growled, wrapping her limp arm once more over my shoulder and carrying her towards the doorway.

"No, fuck no!" Greasy shouted, yanking a gun out from the back of his pants and pointing it at me. "No woman is gonna get away with disrespecting me!"

The loud pop and smell of acrid smoke filled the room, then the soft clink of metal hitting the floor. He stood there staring at me for a moment, his lips quirked in premature triumph that soon fell to disbelief when I didn’t drop to the floor writhing in agony. I sighed, moving Liv behind me and piggybacking her before surging forward.

He panicked, pulling the trigger over and over, the staccato pop, pop, pop of the gun and tinkling of bullets falling flattened to the floor. I reached out and closed my hand tightly over the barrel, the sounds of whining metal replacing gunfire along with a terrified wail.

"What the hell are you?!"

I smiled, yanking the gun out of his hand and bashing him across the face with it, watching his eyes flutter closed as he collapsed to the floor. "A nobody."

\---

Flying was simpler since Olivia was passed out and it was nearly one in the morning, which meant the only people still awake in Gotham were involved in the shadier dealings and I didn't feel like beating up anyone else. My feet left the ground easily, bouncing from rooftop to rooftop and listening to the sounds of sloppy snoring in my right ear. I disassembled the gun, keeping Liv's knees hooked in my elbows while I used my hands, tossing the pieces here and there before crushing the clip and remaining bullets in my fist and tossing that into a dumpster below.

"Mmm. Lyra, I'm so sleepy. Are we outside?"

'Shit.'

"Uuuhh, y-yes?" I stammered, coming to a halt at the edge of a roof.

Olivia shifted around, her eyelashes tickling the nape of my neck as she propped her chin on my shoulder. "Are we flying?"

"No, we're on the roof of the club. You needed some fresh air, remember?" Lying is hard.

"Oh, yeah. You're such a good friend, Lyra." she murmured as I adjusted her weight, making sure that what was available of her skirt helped to prevent any friction burn on her thighs from my own clothing. She nuzzled her face into my back, a few minutes passing between us before soft snoring told me she had passed out once more. I sighed, stepping off the edge and floating to the next rooftop. I couldn't risk her waking up again if I kept jumping between rooftops.

The progression was slow, but it left me some time to think about what had happened; I hadn't killed anyone, but that display of strength was definitely suspicious and on top of that was the fact that I had taken several point blank shots and hadn't even flinched. I groaned, wanting to run a hand through my hair at how stupid I was. If he reported the incident, they wouldn't find any evidence, plus he would have to expose himself for sex trafficking on the side of his 'club'. I made a mental note to pay regular visits to the establishment in the future and 'dissuade' Greasy from his illicit affairs.

I landed on Olivia's windowsill, opening the window with ease since she sometimes liked to sneak men in when Mrs. Vasquez was on the prowl at night. She flopped onto her bed, practically boneless and with a girlish giggle before snuggling up to the tattered pink bunny she called Mr. Stuffins. I closed her window as I left, making sure there weren't any shady characters watching before darting over to my own and simply collapsing against frame. It was made to hold large planters, so my body easily fit and if it gave out I could just float. No skin off my back.

The sky was clear of clouds tonight, showing off a full moon and glittering stars. The light pollution in this part of Gotham was minimal, but over the tops of the buildings I could see the glare from the clustering of lights in Metropolis.

"Why can't I be like him?" I grumbled to myself, cracking my window open so that the cool night air would flood my room.

I let myself begin to rise, seeking the gentle caress of clouds and night air against my skin. I could still feel the flesh of those men, how easily it caved under my strength as I beat them into submission. A wave of disgust roared through me; men of this world were too weak for someone like me.

My eyes began to grow heavy as I floated, my mind drifting to the hero in blue and red. He was just like me, someone who could understand me without judgement. Someone who, maybe, I could get to love me?

I jolted from my dreamlike state, my body falling a few feet in the process. No, a dream like that was impossible to achieve and unworthy of pursuit. My fingers pressed the cool glass of my window open, passing through it before quietly closing and locking it.

"Dreams like that are better locked away and forgotten. Forever."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I made you guys a SUPER long chapter. ENJOY! :) -Vader

"Why did you let me drink that much?" Olivia whined, clutching her head in her palms as the professor droned on about the importance of mathematical figures and problems that were scribbled over the massive blackboard.

I sighed, leaning my cheek on my knuckles, "You don't listen when I tell you to quit, stupid, that's why."

She grunted, hand shaking as she picked up her pencil to jot down a few key points; although she may not act like it ninety percent of the time, Olivia was wicked smart and extremely dedicated to her education since her family was practically dirt poor and she had gotten into the University on a scholarship. She was smarter than me, that was for sure since my head always hurt when it came to math classes.

"Liv, what's the answer to number four again?" I whispered, nudging her slightly with my elbow.

She hissed at me, literally, "Figure it out yourself, fuckface."

I leaned over slightly, eyes peaking over her arm at her paper and quickly jotting down the answer before she caught me.

"Help me."

I jerked, my chair scraping slightly from the sudden movement. 'Did I just-?'

"Please, someone."

I turned my head slightly, ears perked at the sound of pained breathing, a slight gurgling noise smothered the uttered words and the grind of broken bones made me clench my teeth. 'Don't play the hero, Lyra.'

"Oh? Seems like my little kitten has finally woken up!" a lilting voice chirped. "Shall I finally set you free from this world?"

'Ah, fuck.'

"PROFESSOR!" I shouted, jumping from my seat with a clatter as the whole class turned to look at me. "I forgot that I have an appointment that I must make. May I excuse myself?"

The professor narrowed his eyes, "What kind of appointment could be more important than that of your education?"

"Um," I ducked my head, feigning embarrassment. "The womanly kind, sir."

The blood rushed to his cheeks, his mouth opening and closing slightly before he nodded and quickly jerked back around to ignore my presence. The rest of the class shuffled awkwardly while Olivia chuckled next to me, muttering that I was a terrible influence and a crafty liar to herself.

I shoved my notebook and pens into my bag before jogging down the lecture hall steps. The moment I set foot outside the class doors I took off, ignoring the rumbling of the windowpanes as I made a beeline for the quiet whimpers and whispered pleas that vibrated my eardrums. My body moved fluidly dodging around scattered students and cars before I skidded to a halt halfway across Gotham city in front of a rundown warehouse. Terrified wails of pain filled the air, the crunching of delicate bones and wet tear of flesh made my stomach curl. I quickly yanked my hood up over my hair, pulling the ties tighter so that it covered my face and kept it from falling off.

"HELP ME!"

I burst through the wall, concrete and twisted metal flying around me, my clothes tearing as I skidded across the dusty floor. My head turned toward the second floor, the sounds of frantic steps and clattering equipment drawing my attention. The muscles in my legs tightened as I launched myself directly upward, the floor cracking from the pressure before I ripped through the wood and metal second story. A woman was secured to a steel table, white lights shining down on her body that was littered with long cuts, the bones in her fingers and right arm were obviously broken while her face looked like a mottled canvas of bruises.

"Please!" the woman wailed, eyes glassy with pain and fear. "Make him stop!"

The shifting of debris from behind caused me to turn to see the silver glint of a scalpel lunge for my neck. A human reflex overtook my mind as I brought my arms up to defend that vulnerable area, only to watch the blade bend and crumble against my skin.

My attacker dodged around me as I moved forward to grab the offending weapon, laughing with glee. "You're different, very different. Would you like me to grant you peace as well from this world?"

'Grant me peace? What the hell?' I thought, sidestepping the array of blades that were thrown at me, my eyes focusing on a scrawny looking man. He wasn't scrawny in the sense that he was malnourished, more like his posture made him seem smaller than he actually was. He was quite fit, with a range of hash marks littering his skin in raised, angry scars.

Zsasz, Victor Zsasz. Why did it have to be this psycho? He was probably the one villain that I found extremely annoying out of all the super villains in Gotham. No powers, just a super fucked up head… then again, he would be sorta like the Joker? No, he was just fucking annoying.

I growled, using my speed the move behind Zsasz and busting him in the ribs with a punch powerful enough to crack all of his ribs. The scarred man yelped, throwing his body forward to roll away from me, but I followed, grabbing his arm and twisting hard enough to snap his humerus bone in two. He wailed, thrashing and swinging wildly at me with his good arm. I released him to allow him to curl in on himself in agony while I made my over to the wounded woman.

She was sobbing, head turned away from the crippled villain as tears streamed clear paths down her bloody cheeks.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help you." I soothed, snapping the handcuffs that kept her restrained and ripping the hospital curtain off the hooks to cover her naked body. She whimpered in pain as the clothe touched her open wounds, blood instantly being absorbed into the fabric. "Can you walk?"

She nodded softly. "Make your way downstairs, I'll call the police."

I waited until her footsteps were outside the building before pulling out my cellphone, dialing 9-1-1 and reported the incident anonymously to the police. After hanging up, I made my way over to the fetal Zsasz, crouching over his shivering body. "Law enforcement will be here in ten minutes, Zsasz."

He hissed at me, "I'm forgiving them, forgiving you, for your sins. These marks are all the lives that I have saved, you can't stop my work!"

I grit my teeth, grabbing the hand on his good arm. "There are 206 bones in the human body, for every mark you have on your skin, I break one."

His eyes grew wide before he started to laugh, his breathing coming in hoarse gasps as he went into a hysterical fit. A headache bloomed behind my eyes, making me irritated at this low level villain. He was a murderer, a serial killer that sought to make himself feel good about the murders that he was committing. It was bullshit.

I grabbed his index fingers and twisted, cracking the appendage at an awkward angle as he screamed. My hand lunged for his throat, squeezing hard enough to reduce his shriek of pain into a wheeze. "This will be a very long ten minutes for you, Victor."

\----

"Did you see the news? That Zsasz guy was caught and the police are saying that nearly every bone in his body was broken. Do you think the Bat did it?"

"Maybe. He practically sends any bad guy to prison with broken bones."

"Yeah, but not a full body cast! Most of the time."

I sipped my coffee a little louder than normal, trying to block out the excited chatter coming from the booth across the restaurant. I didn't mind if Batman received the credit for any of the things I had done, I wasn't trying to be a well known hero, I just simply acted sometimes. I also tended to lose control of my temper sometimes as well, but again, I wasn't trying to make this a fulltime thing.

I paid for my coffee and stepped outside, the tall buildings and muggy air of Gotham suddenly making me feel claustrophobic as I made my way back to the dorms. I shoved my hands into my pockets hunching my shoulders forward against the sudden chilly breeze that blew between the skyscrapers. I felt sluggish, knowing automatically that I needed to get a little bit of solar juice running in my veins again, but being nearly 9 PM made simply sitting on the park bench and soaking up the rays out of the question.

My course veered into a nearby park, the rustling of leaves drowning out the sounds of mankind before I cast a furtive gaze around me, scanning quickly for any prying eyes. Seeing none, I tensed launching myself into the air with a rush of air. The city lights grew smaller and the details began to blur the further up I went, my body adjusting to the pressure and temperature of leaving the atmosphere. Everything was sound, the rush of the wind against my skin, the flapping of my clothing, the crackling of ice that was beginning to form in my hair, and then… nothing.

I let go, my body floating through the antigravity of space on its own terms, the dead silence soothing my frazzled nerves. My entire life was surrounded by heightened perceptions; sound, taste, smell, touch, sight. I learned how to tone it down, but there were times when my concentration slipped and I found myself swamped within the world's mechanics. Those moments were when I felt completely out of control.

The sun peeked over the edge of the planet, washing my body in its light and recharging my exhaustion away down to the very last cell. I exhaled slightly, not willing to waste the oxygen in my lungs until my system was fully charged. A dark speck flickered within the center of the fiery halo in front of me, steadily growing larger as I watched.

Panic set in. Superman? No, I would have heard him break through the atmosphere, wouldn't I? The small flicker of red from the flutter behind the speck set me into overdrive. Screw getting my full dosage, I was royally fucked now! I yanked my hood up, tightening the strings before rocketing towards the Earth. The pull of gravity sank it's claws in, my clothes charred from the reentry, smoke and destroyed clothe flying behind me as I broke through with a BOOM. I continued my descent, hearing a similar blast behind me as my pursuer continued hot on my tail.

FUCK FUCK FUCK!!

\---

Superman POV ( <3 )

I rocketed after the mysterious figure, baffled by the speed with which they evaded me; the smoke and fabric made it difficult to distinguish who, or what, I was chasing after, but a large burn hole along the side of the person revealed a blue bra… much to my embarrassment.

I put a little more effort into catching up to her, copying the dive that she was taking towards the ocean's surface before pulling sharply up to be level with the water. Large waves chopped the surface, splashing her clothing to where it clung to her frame and splashed over myself.

My eyes itched, not from the salty water that was currently splashing into them, but with the urge to use my heat vision in order to bring her down. No, that would probably kill the girl and I wanted to ask her questions, not put her in a coffin.

"Wait!" I called, seeing her head tilt slightly before she veered sharply left towards Gotham City. I growled, putting the figurative 'pedal to the metal' until I was close enough to grab tightly onto her ankle. She yelped as I threw her into an abandoned warehouse, the thin sheet metal screaming at the impact.

Well, that probably killed her… maybe?

My boots touched the floor lightly, tapping across the concrete to the crater in the center of the warehouse, bracing myself for the possible gore and blood outcome. I hopped onto one of the larger slabs of debris that extended over the hole, leaning over to see through the dust and dirt still swirling in the air.

\---

Normal POV

I lay there, eyes blurry from the impact; I had never tangled with someone equal to my own strength and it was rather off-putting… and painful. My back screamed in protest as I forced myself upward, arms shaking and legs feeling like jelly. The shuffle of rock and grit above me caused me to look up, eyes widening in shock at seeing the one and only Superman standing over me. I swallowed thickly, feet shuffling into a defensive stance as he stared down at me. I knew he could probably see a small portion of my face, but he didn't know who I was exactly, that was a small advantage I was willing to hold onto for the moment.

"Who are you?" His voice was deep, commanding and sent shivers down my spine.

"None of your business." I hissed back, floating upward until I was slightly above him. "Why the hell did you throw me?"

He ducked his head, a faint dusting of pink gracing his cheeks. Damn it all, if I stayed I'd be tempted to grab that handsome face and kiss him within an inch of his life. I shook my head, forcing the lewd thoughts into a box and shoving it as far back into my mind as it would go.

"Sorry about that. You don't seem hurt though, for that I'm glad." He smiled then, meeting my eyes with his bright blues. "You just made me curious, especially when you ran from me."

I grunted, crossing my arms over my chest. "So you threw me through the ceiling because you like me? The way to a woman's heart is through dates and food… mostly food."

He blushed deeper, spluttering for an excuse. My heart squeezed at my own words, endorphins flooding my blood and taking me on a temporary high at the thought of him actually holding a romantic interest in me, even if it was for a small moment.

"I'm kidding, dude." I chuckled, moving to leave through my exact point of entry. "If all you wanted was to flirt, I'm gonna be going now."

I winced as my nose bashed into something rock solid, but rather pleasant smelling. "I didn't say you could leave yet. We're still talking."

Red began invading the capillaries around my eyes, an inner light beginning to grow as I planned an escape. I lowered my head, levitating back from the caped wonder. "Sorry about this."

A blast of red heat slammed into the 'S' emblazoned on his chest, sending him through the front of the warehouse and dazing him slightly as he skidded along the asphalt. I took the opportunity and rocketed out of there, a sonic boom bursting every pane of glass within the area. I was excited, frightened and just disappointed with myself as I made a beeline for my parents; I had attacked Superman, THE Superman! If the superhero had even half a brain he would be able to put the pieces together that I was just like him, and then nothing would stop him from seeking me and my parents out.

MY PARENTS!

Fear caused me to fly erratically through the city, pouring on speed until I was a blur over the country side, desperate to make it to my family and ensure that they were safe. They may be Kryptonian, but they were as weak as the humans we so desperately tried to blend in with. The old farmhouse came into view, the red paint was dull now in the darkness and the white shutters on the windows were tightly closed. A few cows milled close by, their tails swishing about while the horses whinnied and stamped in their sleep.

I landed roughly in the yard, taking the steps attached to the wrap around porch within a single stride before yanking the door open; one thing about living within the countryside was that my mother didn't think it necessary to lock her damn doors.

"Mom? Dad?" I hollered, bounding up the stairs and turning right at the top, the banister groaning slightly from my grip. The lights were dimmed, my mother hated the dark saying that it reminded her too much of the long journey they took through the cosmos to get here, so my father had installed those fancy lights you could dim with a switch.

"Lyra?"

I exhaled roughly, not realizing that I had been holding my breath, while I stumbled through their bedroom door. My father was holding a rifle, the muzzle tilting upwards once he confirmed that I was indeed his daughter, and my mother was staring wide eyed at me.

"Lyra, oh, what happened to you?!" She squeaked, throwing back the covers and rushing to grab my face between her hands. "What happened to your clothes and why do you look all banged up?"

"I got into a fight?"

"With what!? A burning wood chipper?" My father chuckled before shutting up when mom threw him a venomous glare.

"With Superman."

They both froze.

"Lyra, stop playing around. That isn't a very funny joke." Dad scolded, kicking his blankets back and sitting on the side of the bed. He was a large man in his prime, but now he sat a little hunched over from the hard labor, his hair and the small amount of fuzz on his face was beginning to grey and the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes were deepening. My mother was a few years younger, but even she was developing some wrinkles around her eyes and her hair was lightly streaked with grey.

"I'm not. I really did fight Superman. Well, it wasn't really a fight, more of like a chase, flirt and BLAST!"

Mom jumped a little at the last word, her face going pale. "You used your heat vision on him?"

I smiled nervously, scratching my neck before shuffling over to the stuffed chair they kept near their massive book case across the room. "I had to. He wasn't gonna let me go easily, and I can't have him finding out my identity-"

"No, but you let him know exactly WHAT you are, and that’s even worse!" Dad snapped, standing to quickly wrap mom in his arms, rubbing his large hands soothingly up and down her back. "What have you done, Lyra?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" I snarled, jerking my body out of the chair, ignoring the groan of protest from my aching muscles. "He would have found out either way what I was, and I haven't even done anything!"

"You've done everything! We were supposed to live a normal life here, we were supposed to blend into their society and build a new home here, but that’s all been reduced to nothing now!"

"YOU have already blended, so much so that you aren't even Kryptonian anymore!" I hissed, taking a few strides forward until I was a breath away from the both of them. They both shuffled back, my father's face turning dark and my mother's eyes widened until they were the size of the china tea saucers she kept locked in a fancy cupboard in the kitchen. My stomach roiled, a new feeling spreading through the tense atmosphere like ink in water; fear.

"Leave, Lyra."

This didn't make sense, they had seen me angry before, hell I had nearly thrown my father's old pickup truck through the barn when I was seven and he told me I couldn't name the pigs. Why were they afraid!?

"You're scared of me?"

"Honey, it's not that we're scared, it's just-" Mom muttered, burying her fingers deeper into dad's shirt. She didn't continue the sentence, opting to look away from me as though she was lost for words.

"Lyra, I think it's time that you leave now." Dad stated, his right hand pointing towards the bedroom door in dismissal.

"No." I moved fast, grabbing his arm and yanking him away from my mother, twisting the appendage behind his back. He let out a yelp of pain, body going slack to relieve the pressure that I was applying. "Mom, blast me."

"What?"

"You want to save dad, right? I'll rip his arm clean out of the socket unless you use your heat vision and blast me."

She stood there for a moment, a myriad of emotions flitting through her eyes, all too fast for me to make out before they settled on one; defeat. "I can't."

"Why??" I growled, pulling a little harder so that my father emitted another shout of pain. "All my life I have never once seen you two use any of your powers? Why?"

Silence fell heavy between the three of us, like a wet, wool blanket. "We-"

"Don’t you dare. Don't tell her, Anna." Dad choked, tears were beginning to pour down his cheeks. I could hear the bones in his arm groaning under the pressure, the muscles and ligaments in his shoulders begging to tear.

"But Phil," Mom- no- Anna whimpered, ringing her hands together in anxiety. "Lyra, please understand that we love you, more than anything in the world-"

Reality came rushing in like a tsunami, but my world was like a tiny little sand castle on the beach. Easily destroyed within a single moment. "You're not my parents?"

Phil flinched, "No."

I couldn't breathe, there wasn't enough oxygen in this tiny room; I dropped Phil, rushing to the window and throwing the shutter open. Darkness hovered on the edges of my vision threatening to overtake me as I hyperventilated, fingers gripping the windowsill so hard that I could feel the wood crumbling beneath my fingers.

"Lyra, dear, calm down a little bit." Anna said soothingly, reaching out to stroke my back like when I was a little girl. I threw myself out the window, floating awkwardly upside down before righting myself again. I glared at the two of them, clutching onto each other with tears in their eyes.

"Who the hell are you? And who am I?"

Anna stepped forward, "We, Phil and I, are who we always said we are, but- we're not Kryptonian, like you, we were born here on Earth, human. Twenty-one years ago, Phil and I were trying for our first child, but after two miscarriages and a bleak doctor's exam, it wasn't looking good. We were looking at adoption at the time when a man and a woman came to us, they propositioned us to adopt their child, a little girl. Lyra, when I first saw you, you were absolutely beautiful that I agreed right there that I would take you in as my own."

"They didn't want me?"

"No, that wasn't the case," Phil came up to the window, his fingers tracing the indents of my own in the wood. "We kept in touch with your parents even after we adopted you and they eventually explained what, and who, you all were. At first it was strange, but we accepted it because we loved you. They were sick, Lyra, the atmosphere of this planet wasn't compatible with them and they were aware that they weren't getting any better. So they gave you to us, you had the most likely chance of survival and they didn't want to leave you alone on this planet."

"Before they died, they gave us books, lots of them to give to you so that you could understand more about them and where you came from, but I couldn't find the courage to give them to you and tell you the truth. Lyra, you're OUR daughter, in every way, even if you don't share our blood or even come from the same solar system." Anna sobbed, reaching her hand out the window to me.

I simply stared, I wasn't theirs, everything that I was ever told up until this point was a lie. I believed somewhere in my heart that they truly did love me and that everything they did was for me, but the pain was unbearable. It swallowed everything and made the moment more bitter than sweet. "Can I have those books?"

They looked at each other before Phil turned back to me. "Of course, they were always yours, Lyra. Come inside, I'll gather them up for you."

\----

I landed back in my dorm room, depositing box of musty smelling tomes onto my bed before closing the window. It was awkward waiting for my- my dad to dig through the attic looking for the last pieces of my true parents. Mom was crying and I consoled her, told her I wasn't angry and that it would take me a little bit of time to come to terms with what I had learned. I was twenty-three and just now learning that I was adopted, that my entire world had been a lie and that my real parents had left me a dingy cardboard box of my heritage.

"What a cluster fuck." I sighed, dragging myself to the bathroom and filling to deep tub with hot water and lavender scented bubble soap. My cellphone pinged as I lowered my naked, busted up body into the water and I reached careful over the rim to pull the annoying device out of my jacket pocket.

'Don't forget! We have a Physics test tomorrow! You better study cause I need to cheat off of you >.


	5. Chapter 5

I passed that physics test…. Just barely with a 72. I leaned forward onto my elbows, eyebrows scrunched as I skimmed the books I had obtained the night before, the hastily scribbled characters filtering into my brain as Kryptonian and being spat back out in human English. It was slightly unnerving if you really stopped to think about it, but at the same time excessively convenient. A few pieces of crinkled and aged paper were thrown into the box as well, apparently they were notes that my parents had been given to make a sort of cover story for me when I became old enough to ask questions. A quiet grunt broke me out of my thoughts, not enough to make me give up my place on the current page though.

Olivia sat across from me, chewing angrily on a piece of ham that she got with her breakfast inspired dinner, "I hate you, ya know?"

I looked up over the edge of the book, a dull throb beginning in my temples. "Why?"

"Becaaaaauuussseee~ you let me fail!" She whined, laying her cheek against the tabletop with the ham still clenched between her teeth. "I got a 60!"

"Study then. I can't carry you through life, Liv." I grumbled, returning to the last sentence of my book before flicking the page with my thumb.

She snorted, "That's why I'm gonna get a super easy and successful job. Then I can do nothing and still earn money at the same time!"

"That sounds like an oxymoron if you ask me."

"But I'm not asking you, so there." She huffed, scooping up a fork full of eggs onto her buttered toast.

I flinched at the harsh scraping noise of the tongs against the surface of the bread, "Anyway, I think I'm gonna take some time to myself. I've got something important I need to look into, so you might not see me around-"

The plate jangled as she smacked her palms down on the table, "What!?"

People turned in their seats to eyeball us with disapproval, "Liv, please, not so loud."

"You're gonna flake on me for Spring Break!"

I sighed, flipping the book over and placing it down on the table. "You know that the whole affair of Spring Break is just an excuse to have alcohol poisoning and unprotected sex among the impressionable masses, right?"

Liv scrunched her nose, "Geez, talk about a Debbie Downer. Come on! You never have fun, even your mom was a total bummer when I came over to visit that one time. Just let loose for once in your stale life!"

Let loose? I paused in my snarky reply, thinking about the last time that I actually really let loose. Never? Mom was always so concerned about keeping the secret that I wasn't really allowed to play alone with other kids, I babysat Liv whenever we went out to have any kind of fun, and I'm always, ALWAYS, holding back when it comes to my powers. I've never had the opportunity or inclination to just relax and be twenty-one.

"Alright, I'll finish my priorities and we can go to Spring Break-"

"Damn straight!"

"But you need to control yourself! I'm tired of scraping you off the sidewalk all the time!"

Liv puffed her cheeks, pushing the half finished eggs around her plate, "I'm not even that bad."

\----

I touched down on top of a plateau, the large land mass flat and empty for miles while being so elevated that no man would be able to bother me all the way up here. I looked down over the massive edge, 1,500 meters of open air until you thumped onto minimal foliage and hard dirt. East Africa was a wonderful place, wild and untamed, something that I truly believed that this planet once used to be like before innovation took root in the minds of man.

I plopped down, crossing my legs and dropping the worn box down with a puff of dust in front of me. I'd been through these books a few times over in the past week, a lot of them being about Kryptonian history and culture, while a few were about the physiology of Kryptonians; their powers, strengths, and explanations of why these characteristics were present.

The thought that these books were included in this tiny library made me wonder if my parents secretly thought that in the future I would be terrified of myself because of what I could do and that they wrote these journals to comfort me. I picked one of them up, clutching it to my chest like a lifeline; to where? I didn't know, but something inside screamed at me not to let it go.

Placing the book back, I stood and patted the dust off my jeans, moving until my toes hung off the edge of the plateau. I was going to go all out, really let loose and see what I was truly capable of. My foot dropped off the edge, my jacket flapping around me while I plummeted towards the ground. The impact was tremendous, cracks splaying all around me as I bent my knees to absorb the force while dust plumed like a mushroom cloud high into the sky. I straightened to look around at the damage before turning and sending my fist into the wall of rock, busting a crater into it like I was creating a railroad tunnel back in the day.

"Damn it." I growled, wrapping my fingers in my wild hair and pulling slightly. I was afraid still, afraid that I'd hurt someone, maybe even hurt everyone on this planet. How pathetic is that to be afraid of yourself!? I grew up not knowing my true potential, and here I am trying to find out and I can't!

"FUCK!" I shrieked, blasting off into the sky. My speed ripped clean holes through the clouds until I burst through the atmosphere, eyes trained on the rings of Saturn. Nothing lived there on those loose clusters of asteroids, I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone there whether directly or indirectly. 

I kicked the first hunk of space rock into dust before sending my fist through another one, my eyes were hot as I blasted a few, speed increasing as I let every piece of stress and agony in my life simply burst out of its tight little box. Boiling tears leaked down my cheeks to float off into the never-ending chasm of space. I'm alone, that's all I ever was in the end, no one cared about my existence. I crashed into the planet's surface, the toxins going ignored as I inhaled deeply and screamed. Screamed out all of the pain of being ignored for my own problems, the fear of being shunned because I was different, the constant fear of being found out for what I was, and for the parents that I knew loved me, but weren't here for me when I needed them most.

The gaseous atmosphere rippled, lightning striking around me, coursing through the planet's crust and along my skin. I can destroy worlds, yet I stand here crying because I was afraid.

"Hey."

I flinched, not willing to turn around let him see me for the wreck that I truly was. "What do you want?"

I could hear his boots touch the ground behind me, the soft padding as he came closer to me, oblivious, or choosing to be, to the electricity that still hummed along my skin and singed my clothing. "I'm sorry."

I whirled around my fist aiming for his jaw before he caught it in his hand. "For what!? You don't know anything about me or what I've been through!"

He smiled sadly, his blue eyes clouding as his hand slipped from my knuckles to my wrist, gripping tightly so I wouldn't run away again. "No, I don't know anything about you, but I can understand that you're in pain, have been for a very long time, and I'm sorry about that."

I scoffed, pulling slightly to try and loosen his grip. "What would you know about pain, Superman?"

"My name is Kal-El, at least in Kryptonian." He reached his free hand out to put out the tiny flame that had sprouted at the edge of my jacket sleeve, tightening his fingers around that wrist as well. "You're Kryptonian, too, right? What's your name?"

"I- I don’t know." I sniffed, another painful reality that I didn't even know the name that my birth parents gave me causing a fresh wave of tears. I probably looked atrocious to him right now, all blotchy skin and snotty nose. I hate my life.

He stared for a moment before moving so quickly I could barely register his movements to press my body into his. His hand came up behind my head and pressed my forehead into his chest while the other wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed. "That's okay, just whenever you need me, just call my name and I'll be there, okay? You're not alone… not anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, I know, I'm sorry! But I've been super busy with work and had writer's block! Please forgive me, Reader-senpai! I promise you another long chapter though, okay? ;D -Vader


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating, just moved and it's been rather hectic trying to get settled in!! Anywho, I hope that you forgive me since I added a little bit more content to this chapter ;) ENJOY!! -<3 Vader~

I smoothed out my dark grey button up out of nervous habit as I climbed the faded steps to my parents' house; the door was slightly crooked on it's hinges from my last visit which sent a small tingle of guilt off deep in my brain. 'I'll fix that later.'

"Lyra? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um, hey, Anna- I mean Mom! Shit." I stuttered, unsure how to react after that night towards them; they had raised me ever since I could remember, but it felt sort of wrong now that I knew they had been technically lying to me this entire time.

"Language, miss! You're not too old for me to put a bar of soap in your mouth now." She scolded, dusting her hands off on the flour covered apron tied loosely around her waist. "I made some chocolate-chip banana bread if you want a slice? Or two?"

I smiled lightly, careful to open the busted door as the smells of home washed over me. "You're gonna make me fat, but at the moment, I don't really care."

"You didn't have much of a choice anyway in eating this bread, you're too skinny, Lyra, you'll blow away one day, I swear it." She laughed at her small joke, opening the fridge to root around for the glass jog of milk. "Why are you here, dear, something happen?"

My hands shook a little as I wiggled onto the bar stool situated at the kitchen's island, slices of banana bread were laid out on a cooling rack, the steam just barely visible. My stomach got the best of me as I was already reaching towards the warm food. "Well, I wanted to ask you something, but first, I think I will have two slices of that bread, ma."

She smacked my hand softly, even though she knew it wouldn't really hurt me. "Lyra, you're stalling. Out with it."

My fingers dug into the denim of my jeans, "I wanted to know if my birth parents- well, maybe they told you my birth name? My, uh, Kryptonian name?"

Anna stood there for a moment, her fingers coming up to rest on her chin as she tapped her lower lip in thought. "They did, I think I wrote it down somewhere cause I thought it would be a good idea to have something like that in case you ever asked me about it. I just can't remember where in the world I tucked it away."

Milk sang against smooth glass before she slid the cup towards me along with two slices of room temperature bread. "Eat that up and I'll go poke around a minute, maybe ask your father if he saw it."

I listened to her walk out the porch door, wincing as the hinges whined before taking a bite of the chocolate-banana goodness. Mom always did know how to bake some mean as hell pastries, Gordon Ramsey would kneel before her baking skill for sure. I snatched up a third slice and quickly scarfed it down as the sounds of her boots reached the steps.

"Hun, come out here. Your father says he put all that kind of stuff into the storage. I need your help getting it out, okay?"

"Coming!" I shouted, chugging the last of the milk before hopping off the stool and to the door. "Do you mean the storage shed behind the house, or-?"

"The barn, Lyra. He wanted to keep that kind of stuff hidden until you were old enough."

"What about the books?" I asked, stepping through the rickety wire fence that kept the horses and cows hemmed in, careful to watch where I put my feet in case of stinky surprises.

"Heck, Lyra, we couldn’t read those things, we didn't think you would have been able to either." Mom huffed, stepping through the open barn door before making a bee line for the ladder that led to the hayloft. The smell of old and new hay along with the usual stink of barn animals was overpowering since it tended to linger when the loft window wasn't open. I pushed it open, allowing fresh air and light to brighten up the dingy place before turning towards Mom again.

"Well, get to looking. Teacup gets up here every spring to have her litters and makes a mess of all this hay. She probably unintentionally covered it up."

I nodded, listening carefully for the sound of tiny kittens; the one thing I didn't want was for that angry ball of black fluff, Teacup, to come up here hissing a fit that I harassed her babies. An hour had passed before we finally got to the far corner of the hayloft that we found a few plastic bins with my name marked on them in faded Sharpie.

"Here we are," Mom sighed as she pried the lid of the top bin, sifting through the stuff. "Might as well give you all of them considering most of it is just some toys and junk I wanted to get out of your room mixed with what you really want."

"I'll go through it at my dorm, maybe I can donate some of these extra toys or something." I mumbled as I picked up a dusty Raggedy Anne doll from the top of the pile. An assortment of toys, baubles, small boxes and papers were mixed together in all the bins, so it would be a fun experience to go through them all. "This is kind of strange, everything that's been happening so far."

Mom looked at me out of the corner of her eye, mouth setting into a troubled line. "I know. We should have told you sooner, and there's really no excuse that I can offer for such a delay in the truth other than we were scared. Scared of losing you to a world that doesn't even exist anymore. Lyra, your father and I love you so much, please, wherever this information takes you, be careful… and never forget the person that we raised you to be."

I nodded, leaning into her as she threw her arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry."

A powerful smack upside my head had me leaning forward slightly from the impact. "Darn straight you are! Gave me a heart attack and nearly broke your father's arm. I thought I raised you to be some sort of pacifist, Lyra."

We both stared at one another for a moment before breaking down into a fit of laughter, "Pacifist! Yeah, right! Remember when that one girl in 2nd grade, Samantha, kept stealing my cookies and calling me a liar when I called her out on it? Oh man, I can't believe I broke her nose."

"That little girl deserved it with how rotten her parents were raising her, calling her princess and all. Nasty, spoiled child. And I didn't raise my daughter to simply lay back and let people walk all over her."

"What on God's green Earth is going on up here?" Dad was leveraging himself up into the loft, wincing slightly as he put pressure on his bruised shoulder. "We having a party?"

"No, no, dear! Lyra was just recalling how she gave that girl Samantha a reality check for stealing."

I watched quietly as they began trading stories back and forth about when I was growing up, all the trouble I had gotten into, all the good and bad times. I wasn't really alone in the world, I had people who loved me unconditionally, but there was a tiny piece of me that just wanted answers, to know everything about who I was besides 'Lyra'. Although, no matter how far I would travel for these answers, I knew that somehow I would always end up right here between these two people, listening to their stories and laughing with them at me own expense.

\----

"You saw your parents today? How did that go?"

I swung my legs over the edge of the skyscraper, pulling my hood more securely onto my head as the wind whipped at my clothing. The flutter of his cape was loud, drowning out the constant rumble of the city below. "It went okay. I think I'm coming to terms with everything a little more clearly than I was before."

He nodded, tilting his head slightly to the right before focusing his attention back to me. "Have you learned anything else about your birth parents?"

"No, I haven't had the chance to go through the boxes. I think that secretly I'm just procrastinating against it all."

He laughed, stepping off the edge to hover around to face me, his toes pointing towards the ground far below while his large frame blocked the rays of the setting sun from my eyes. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes and no." I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat as his steady, blue gaze met my own. My fingers tingled, wanting to reach out and touch him, all of him, until my need was sated, but I settled for gripping the denim of my jeans tighter. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting a better look at you. The couple of times weren't exactly ideal." I laughed with him, leaning forward slightly causing him to lean back in shock.

"Do you like what you see then?"

Kal-El paused, his tongue passing over his lower lip quickly as his eyes looked everywhere but my face. "You are very appealing to look at."

I pouted, "That's not exactly what I wanted to hear from Superman."

"Fine, you're beautiful, very much so."

"Are you attracted to me?" I pushed, slipping off the roof to float with him in the night air. "Even the slightest bit?"

I watched his throat bob, heard him swallow thickly, before his mouth opened to respond; we both froze as the wailing of sirens echoed in our ears, the smell of smoke and screams of people cutting into the tension between us. "Well, Superboy, your city calls."

He smiles, leaning out to pinch a stray curl between thumb and forefinger, "It's your city now, too."

With a blink, he was gone, leaving me alone and frustrated with the outcome of our meeting. I was actually beginning to get somewhere with him and someone just had to burn down a building! Damn it.

I flew back to Gotham, landing softly on a building not too far from my dorm as the sun finally sank beneath the horizon, darkness swallowing my wretched city. When the dark came, the criminals crawled out of their holes to play, and usually, the Bat would plummet from the night sky to send them back into their burrows. This was the way things were, always have been, always will be. Kal-El was somewhat right about Metropolis being partly my city, but in truth, Gotham was where I truly belonged and where I truly wanted to help make a difference.

I jumped as the fluttering of a cape over my head caught my attention, my eyes tracing up the cracked brick of the building next me to the black figure perched above. "Oh shit."

"So, you're the one who's been beating up my criminals and even took down that sex ring at the Krypt." the dark figure growled, sliding down the fire escape until he was level with me across the narrow alleyway. "I thought Zsasz was crazier than usual when he described the person who beat him to a pulp, literally."

My brain was still fuzzy, slowly processing what was happening like I was watching everything through one of those slideshow toys I had as a kid. "Holy- you're Batman. Oh damn, I'm talking to THE Batman!"

His laugh was low and gravely as he leaned on the railing, "Yes, I'm Batman. Listen, I need to ask you a favor."

Adrenaline rocketed through my veins causing my heart to pump obnoxiously loud in my ears. 'He wants my help! He's gonna ask me to be a vigilante with him! I'm gonna work with Batman!'. My inner self squeaked in joy, but outside, I kept as straight a face as I could without hurting myself in the process.

"Stop." He growled. "I don’t need a kid, even a strong one, taking risks like you are. I understand that you think you are helping this city, but I don't need you getting killed for trying to be a hero."

"What?" I said, my blood froze in my veins before turning molten with rage as he prattled on.

"You need to stop. I don't need any kind of casualties because you went and got the idea to be a hero."

'Oh hell no.' Before I could stop myself, my fist was already connecting with his jaw, sending him into and through the metal railing of the fire escape before he plummeted to the ground. He landed with a thud, the metal of his chest armor making a clang as he laid there for a few moments, trying to sort out his head. "Go fuck yourself, I'm no child! And I'll do as I please, not because some vigilante dressed as a bat tells me to, or not!"

With that said, I used the opportunity of him being too dazed to know up from down to slip away to my dorm room. There was another person to add to the list of people I hated now, right up there next to Mrs. Vasquez.


	7. The Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to throw this bit of context in, not make an entire chapter of it since I feel I've been dragging this out for too long. I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. <3 -Vader :)

'Silbyr-Alor,

Forgive us; the atmosphere of this planet is slowly withering us away, even now I can hear your gasps for breath as you begin to acclimate. You're so small, but infinitely stronger than we are, and you'll become even stronger even after we are gone. Please, do not blame yourself for anything that happens after this point, we never meant for it to end up this way.

Guilt has settled in my heart, no matter how many times I lay beside you and apologize, Silbyr, I can never lessen the tightness in my chest. We found a nice couple who are willing to take you, knowing what you are, and will raise you as their own child. It pains me to know that I will have to give you to them tomorrow, but I know that this is for your own good.

We love you, so much. You are the greatest thing to have happened to us, to me, and it pains me to know that I will not be able to see you grow, to learn everything that this world has to offer, and to teach you as your powers mature with time. Do not be afraid, shovuh, all Kryptonians are born strong and with the powers that you will one day manifest. Learn to control them and use them for the good of the planet, Silbyr.

Your father and I are proud of you, even though we do not know what you will become later in life, we know that you will be nothing short of greatness. Live a full life, one that you never would have had on Krypton; you have no limits anymore.

With all our love,  
Shara and Nam-Alor'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shovuh - Love


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, everyone below 18, GTFO. This some graphic stuff, don't say you haven't been warned!! -Vader ;3

My hair flapped wildly behind me as I swung my legs over the edge of the roof of Wayne Enterprises, my fingers brushed some loose dirt off the ledge before returning to my lap. It still felt strange being out after dark like this, especially now that I was actually looking for trouble instead of just stumbling onto it… but the letter from my parent's made something inside of me finally click into place.

I can protect this world, and its people, because I have the power to do so. Why was I sitting around and choosing here and there when I would act? I was afraid, that was for sure, but then I also believed that it was because I never felt any real obligation to contribute this kind of service to the world. I felt that, since I was Kryptonian, that I wasn't even counted among the populace that buzzed about their daily lives below my feet.

I rolled my head back onto my shoulders, feeling the muscles stretch under my skin as I sharpened my hearing. This was Gotham City, extremely infamous for its high crime rates, even with the Bat on the prowl every night. It was about damn time for my own piece of the action, even if Batman didn't like me (the jerk).

My attention shifted to the right at the sound of a small explosion and terrified screams. Alarms began blaring in my eardrums as I slid off the edge, blasting towards the commotion at full speed.

"Someone's robbing the Gotham City Bank again? Geez, you'd think that this place would have way better security measures at this point!" I mumbled, taking in the scene from above. An armored car was parked around the back, a few thugs lounging in the front seats while two stood on either side of the vehicle on watch. I used my Xray vision on the actual building, taking a count of six baddies with ranges of machine guns and shotguns and twenty civilians all huddled into a large group towards the front.

More noises and chatter came from the far left corner in the back of the bank. I squinted slightly, trying to see better before realizing that the safe must have been lined with some type of lead that prevented me from seeing inside. That left a large number of variables open considering I couldn't tell how many were inside, and I wouldn't be able to tell what types of weapons they were packing. One guy with a grenade and a small brain could injure the hostages which would be a major fuckup for my budding superhero career.

I groaned, swiping a hand over my face before reaching back to tie my hair into a crappy ponytail, tucking it safely into my hood. This is gonna suck.

\---

I watched from a vantage point as the thugs threatened a man and his wife with the barrel of his shotgun, making crude jokes about what he could do to the woman if he killed the husband. I gnashed my teeth, annoyed that I couldn't just drop in and take care of business without worrying about an innocent getting shot.

My grapple hook went off with a quiet whoosh, momentum carrying me to another gargoyle carving that jutted out over the mass of hostages. From here I could see partially into the safe, the massive metal door was caved in, leaving a large enough hole for these robbers to slip in and begin gathering what they wanted.

I reached into my utility belt, drawing out a batarang to serve as a distraction and draw some of the guards away, that would give me the opening that I needed in order to get these people out safely. I had just drawn my arm back for the throw when a loud boom echoed in the room, followed by the ceiling caving in with a shower of plaster, metal and dust.

"Are you kidding me?" I growled, moving towards the very edge of my perch to get a better look.

In the center of the wreckage was a hooded figure, curls of red hair popped out of the hood here and there, but the face was covered just enough that I could only see the mouth. My eyes traveled downwards, noting that it was a female, about 5'5" and that she was… deflecting bullets?

I blinked in shock at the rapid popping of machine guns and shotguns echoed throughout the bank causing many of the hostages to scream and cover their heads, but she stood tall, ignoring the holes beginning to pepper her clothing. She disappeared in a flash, each goon going down with a shriek and the sick crack of bones and cartilage before everything became still.

"Calm yourselves. I am here to help you, not harm you. If you would please begin exiting the building in a calm manner?" She chirped, her chest heaving from excitement. The Bat-computer analyzed her voice carefully, filing it away for later use. I pressed a small button on the inside of my wrist ordering the computer to begin biological scans and reports.

Meanwhile, she was leaning down to help a woman who had been clipped by a stray bullet in the leg, offering her to an older gentleman to carry outside to safety. I grunted as the result pinged, swiping my thumb across the console on my arm to expand it against the lenses inside my cowl.

'Previous Record(s): Unknown  
DNA Record(s): Unknown  
Dental Record(s): Unknown  
Biological Marker(s): Possible Match.'

I frowned, pressing the match for the Biological Markers.

'Biological Markers show signs of possible origins outside of Earth. Known person(s) containing these markers results: (1)'

Again, I expanded, inhaling sharply before reaching for the small silver canister on my utility belt that was labeled with green tape. She was walking away from the hostages now, moving towards the vault where the remaining criminals were probably huddled inside for an ambush.

'Biological Markers Matching: Superman. Proceed with Caution. Highly Dangerous.'

The soft click of the latch releasing from my belt forced a wince from me, her head tilted slightly with one foot inside the vault doorway.

"You can come out now, Batman. I can hear your heart racing."

I pulled the pin, dropping deftly onto the marble flooring below before drawing my arm back. A flash of black and her hand was wrapped around my own, pulling the grenade from my grasp. "I thought you were all about not killing anyone? Wouldn't a grenade be detrimental to that resolve?"

"It's not a grenade exactly." I growled, wanting to pull away from the iron grip she had around my wrist with her opposite hand.

"Then you wouldn't mind me giving it a squeeze until it pops, right? There's no use begging me to let you go either since you wanted to play Demolition Dan." She purred, the whining of strained metal was loud in my ears as her fingers slowly dented in the canister.

"Be my guest." I chuckled, holding my breath as green smoke exploded around us.

\----

I shrieked in pain, tossing the metal container away from me before tearing out of the painful cloud of noxious green. My feet slipped against the marble flooring, my shoulder smacking into the surface with a painful jolt as I crawled desperately towards the pile of rubble in the center of the floor. My lungs were on fire, burning my soul away from the inside while my eyes watered like a freshly broken dam. I scrabbled to my feet, clawing at my skin that felt like millions of tiny needles were burrowing under my flesh and into my blood.

I could hear a sinister chuckle from behind me, but I couldn't focus my mind enough to tell my body to turn around. 'Get away, get away, GET AWAY!'

My feet cracked the marble below as I took off, feeling as though the entire weight of the sky was trying to push my body back into the earth. I collided with a building, blindly pushing the stone gargoyle off its pedestal to fall to the streets below before taking off again. Something wet slid down my cheeks, dripping onto my neck and hoodie as I flew, fingers reaching up only to come away stained in red.

A new wave of pain assaulted me when I moved to wipe my face off with my hoodie, my mind blanking in a sheet of white; I could faintly feel the wind rush past me, whistling in my ears as I howled in agony. Pain ricocheted through my body when I impacted with the ground, a spray of cool sand dusting my overheated skin and clumping with the blood still dripping from my eyes.

"Help… me." I croaked feeling as though my lungs had been ripped out of me, turned inside out and then shoved back inside. "Please."

Every brush of my skin against my clothing brought pain, my fingers grasped at the material before tearing it away, the fabric flapping in the wind as it was carried away from me. I reached for my jeans, wincing as I fumbled to get a grip on the skin tight material.

"What the hell?" a low voice echoed in my ears, the sand beside me shifting as they kneeled down. "Shit, what happened to you? Who did this?!"

I whined still clawing desperately at the denim sticking to my legs bringing more and more pain with every movement. "Get it off. Hurts, it all hurts. Please."

"Okay, just one second. I can't touch you otherwise… Just one moment." Silence ruled, my ragged breathing and the soft pulse of the ocean breaking through my hazed mind. The sand shifted again, the rustle of cloth hitting the ground forced my head to turn towards the blurry shape standing over me. "This is going to be a little cold, but it's necessary for me to help, okay?"

Water, this person just poured extremely cold water on me. I groaned, trying to escape the onslaught before stilling in resignation. I was able to count five times that they doused me in water before carefully wrapping me in something warm and picking my limp body up. Pain still prickled my skin along my back and thighs, but it was less so than before.

"It's okay- fuck- I can help you."

\----

I woke with a wince, rolling slowly onto my side and cuddling deeper into the soft sheets of my bed.… Wait. I don’t have soft sheets, my sheets are rather scratchy. A soft cough had me bolting upright, my eyes watering slightly as I peeled them open. Before me sat a blurry figure, but the more that I blinked the clearer the image became before…

"Superboy!" I shrieked, looking wildly around the room. I wasn't in my dorm room, instead I was in a rather modern apartment with sparse furnishings and minimal decoration pertaining to whomever lived here. A single frame of a picture of an older couple and the man who sat in front of me now was placed beside a silver lamp on the bedside table. The red numbers of an alarm clock read 5:45 AM. 

I turned back to him, taking in his fitted t-shirt and loose basketball shorts before dragging my eyes back to his face which was stained a pink hue. "You might want to-" He motioned towards my chest area with one hand while the other was clenched tightly around the fabric on his thigh.

"What are you-" I looked down blinking at the sight of my pink nipples before squeaking in shock, tugging the blanket hastily up to my chest. "Why am I naked?!"

He swallowed thickly, "Someone gassed you with Kryptonite and it was in your clothes, so I had to take them off to help you."

My mind whirred, trying to recount the events of the night. "I remember a lot of pain."

He nodded, gritting his teeth as he leaned close to me. "Kryptonite is a mineral from our homeworld, Krypton. It's a poison to us and can kill us if we're exposed for too long."

"I- I didn't-"

"It's not your fault, you just need to tell me who did that to you and I will take care of it." He growled.

"I-um, I was in a bank, stopping some thugs, and there was someone-" I couldn't think straight, my mind shying away from those memories like opposing magnets. "I can't remember. Why can't I remember?"

Kal-El winced, his hand coming up to trace lightly over my cheek in comfort. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about Kryptonite-"

"No, it's my fault. I feel like I was careless, maybe too cocky and that's what got me into this mess. I'm sorry to be such a burden, Kal-El."

He smiled softly, "That reminds me, you haven't told me your name yet."

I mentally noted his change of topic, deciding to let it rest and put the entire Kryptonite affair behind us. "Silbyr. Silbyr-Alor."

"Silbyr." He purred, his thumb tracing under my eyes to my nose and down to my mouth, playing lightly with my lower lip. "I don't want to see you hurting like that again. I was- terrified when I heard your voice, and even more so when I finally found you."

Tears welled in my eyes, "I'm sorry."

"No, but the person who did this to you will be." He hissed, wrapping his hand around the back of my head before crushing his lips with my own. I gasped, his tongue taking the opportunity to dive into my mouth and tangle with my own as I threaded my fingers through his hair. He groaned, pushing my body back to better situate himself over me, his hands wandering down my throat to my shoulders. "Tell me when to stop."

I panted, licking his lower lip to savor his taste before looking into those ocean blue eyes filled with lust. "I've never done this before."

His eyes darkened at that, fingers wrapping themselves in my curls and pulling slightly to offer my throat to him. A part of me recognized the position as overtly submissive, but I accepted by instinct that he was dominant and that he could take whatever he damn well pleased from me. "Good. No one gets to touch you but me, Silbyr."

A whine escaped my throat, my back curving upwards to press myself flush against his body with a moan. He growled approvingly, licking a stripe down the column of my throat before nipping and sucking at my collar bone. His free hand skimmed down my side, raising goosebumps in its wake before clasping around one of my breasts. I hissed as his fingers began pinching and rolling my nipple sending heated jolts down my spine and between my legs.

"God, you smell good." He groaned, his mouth closing over my neglected nipple with sharp nips and gentle strokes of his tongue to soothe the sting. "I need you, I don't have to hold back with you, so I can have you for as long as I want, as hard as I want."

Fire licked along my skin at his words, heightening every sensation he provided and carrying it all downward to my dripping center. "Please, I can't take this."

Kal-El growled, his nails scraping across my stomach and further down to the small puff of curls between my thighs. "We haven't even gotten to the good part yet, Silbyr."

Ding! Dong!

He hissed, tearing himself away from me to glare towards the front of the house. "They'll leave." He huffed, pushing my thighs apart to place himself between them. The heavy length of his dick brushed against the crease of my thigh, driving my need up the wall as I grabbed his shoulders as an anchor. He moaned, pushing his shorts down quickly so that his heated flesh rubbed tantalizingly over my own.

"Please, I-"

Kal shushed me by placing his lips over mine once more, our teeth clicking together every so often as he grasped his member in hand and tapped it teasingly against my clit. I jumped around like a fish out of water, my head tossing back to expose my throat to him again as a guttural groan vibrated through my chest. "That's it, just like that."

Ding! Dong!

My legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him fully over my body as he let go of his cock to better balance himself. His rigged flesh carded through my folds, juices smearing along his shaft which cause him to shudder and moan against my throat.

Ding! Dong! Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding dong!!!

"FUCK!" He shouted, yanking himself away from me and pulling his shorts up enough to trap his swollen length against his stomach. "Don’t go anywhere, Silbyr."

I lay there panting, the cold air conditioning clearing my lust addled mind as he disappeared to answer the door. 'What the fuck was I just about to do?!'

"Clark, what in the world took you so long to answer the door, and are you alright? You seem a bit flushed?"

I froze at the sound of another woman's voice, the heat that was swarming through my blood dying a cold and unyielding death. Of course he had a girlfriend, he's Superman, dammit. He had to have a life outside of his superhero persona. I swallowed, moving to the dresser quietly and grabbing a tee and shorts to slip over my naked form.

"I'm busy, Lois, okay? Can you come back later?"

"Well, I was just coming by to check on you and maybe see if we could- you know? Have some fun?"

The suggestive tone in her voice made me sick knowing that I was about to be the one taking her space in his bed. A slight pain echoed in my heart as I pulled the window open, wincing at the loud squeal of the old frame before taking off into the Metropolis night sky.

"What was that?" Lois shoved past Clark, pushing the bedroom door open and looking around the bedroom. The night air from the open window caused the curtains to billow like old ghosts in the moonlight.

"It was nothing. I'm not in the mood tonight, and the last time that I checked, we aren't an 'item' anymore since you called it off, remember?"

Lois scoffed, "Well, what's wrong with just being friends with benefits for now, Clark? Maybe we can work back up to a relationship again?"

She sauntered forward, leaning her body against his and playing her fingers across his chest in a teasing manner. Clark looked towards the bed and then to the window, disappointment crashing down on him that Silbyr had just left him without an explanation. "Lois, please, I'm tired, can you just go?"

The reporter scoffed, crossing her arms over her bust and storming to the door. "Call me when you're actually up to the task of pleasing me."

Clark huffed as she slammed the door, his finger moving to quickly lock it before turning back to the bedroom. His x-ray vision confirmed the fact that Silbyr was no longer in his apartment, the fact pained him a little before he moved over to the bed. He gathered up the sheet, gently pulling it from the mattress before settling himself on the bed with his back against the wall. The sheet was still damp from her, the smell intoxicating to his senses as he slowly released his length and drug a hand over it imagining it was her tiny hands that were jerking him off.

He grunted, swirling his thumb over the head and gathering the precum before using it to slick his length. The sheet was pressed firmly against his nose, his mouth open and panting as her scent drove him close to the edge. His thighs shook as his hand moved in a blur against himself, the wet slapping of his fist meeting his pelvis loud in the empty apartment. His tongue darted out, swiping over the wet patch to absorb her flavor tainted with fabric softener before he groaned loudly, spilling himself over his hand and thighs in thick streams.

His pants for breath echoed in his ears as he pressed the cloth against his nose once more, inhaling deeply as he gently played with his softening length. "Until next time then, Silbyr."


End file.
